Lucy to Chair Cross-Party Greater Manchester MPs Group in Parliament

Lucy Powell MP has been elected as the Chair of the new All Party Parliamentary Group for Greater Manchester.

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Greater Manchester (APPG) will bring together MPs and Peers from across the main political parties to help maximise future investment and growth for the benefit of everyone in the region. It will work closely with the incoming Metro Mayor, who will be elected on 4th May, and key leaders in the region’s businesses, local government and voluntary sector.

The first meeting today will discuss the economic and social challenges that face Greater Manchester. The Group will hear from Stephen Clarke, Social and Policy Analyst at the Resolution Foundation; Andrew Carter, incoming Chief Executive of Centre for Cities and Professor Ruth Lupton, Head of the Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit, University of Manchester.

In a recent report, the Resolution Foundation warned about the stark inequalities within Greater Manchester. Their analysis shows a mammoth 20 percentage point gap between the highest and lowest employment levels in the region. This is the widest gap of any city in the UK. Resolution Foundation data also shows that while Manchester and Salford have seen employment growth of around six per-cent over the last five years, employment has increased by just one per-cent in Bury, and has actually fallen in Rochdale over the same period.

Greater Manchester’s jobs divide is felt most keenly by disadvantaged groups – a BAME person is 50 per cent more likely to be in work if they live in Trafford, compared to Manchester – highlighting that serious living standards challenges remain even in the City centre[i].

Lucy Powell, Labour MP for Manchester Central and Chair of the Greater Manchester APPG said “This is an exciting time for Greater Manchester with the metro-mayor elections and further powers devolved to Greater Manchester to tackle some of the stark challenges our city-region faces. Many residents won’t be aware of the mayoral elections just a month or so away yet they are a chance for Greater Manchester to This cross-Party group will bring together key players from across the region to work together for the good of local residents, exploring some of the key issues our conurbation faces.”

In addition to Lucy Powell MP, the officers of the Group are: Vice-chairs David Nuttall MP, for Bury North, Ivan Lewis, MP for Bury South and Baroness Morris of Bolton, Lord Goddard of Stockport; Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde and Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East.